Two Keys, One Destiny
by Raynar K'Tal
Summary: Rated T for Intense Violence and Crude Humor.  Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any references to anything else.  Twenty Years after the fall of Organization XIII, the sucessors to Sora and Riku appear, and with them, a new legend.
1. Chapter 1 Beginnings

Chapter 1 – Beginnings

10 years ago, Late Afternoon, Twilight Town…

Two boys, each about five years old, play Grandstander in a sandlot near the downtown area. "That's forty-six! Good Job Alec!" shouted Zane, a boy with blue eyes and long, unkempt brown hair. "I guess all that practice is starting to pay off" replied Alec, a boy who also had blue eyes but rather than brown hair had silvery-white hair kept at shoulder length. Alec walked over to Zane and sat down on a bench, setting down the Grandstander bat in his hand. "I think that's enough for one day…" Zane said, "Say Zane, why don't we get some ice cream?" Zane turned to his friend and smiled. "Sure! Race ya!" he replies playfully and takes off, Alec eventually catching up to him.

The two friends now sat at the top of the clock tower, eating ice cream bars. "Wow, this is pretty good!" Zane said as he took a bite out of his ice cream bar, "What flavor did the lady say this was?" Alec paused for a few seconds, trying to remember what the lady at the shop said it was. "I think it was Sea Salt" he replied, "Odd, it's salty, and yet it's sweet…" Zane nodded in agreement then turned forward again, looking at the setting sun. "You know Alec, I wonder, why does the sun set red?" he asked, turning to Alec. "You know, I asked my mom that same question yesterday" Alec replied, "she said that it's because light is made up of many colors, and of all the colors, red travels the farthest, or something like that…" Zane and Alec laughed; neither of them had no idea what Alec was talking about, but they would probably find out when they get older. "You know Zane, you're my best friend" Alec said, "and we'll be that way to the end, no matter what." Zane smiled and nodded. "Yeah, no matter what" he replied as they watched the sunset.

Later that night, the duo walked home through one of the side streets; normally kids wouldn't be out after dark, but Zane and Alec took this route all the time. It went from the clock tower down the main street and through the sandlot before they reached their houses. Normally they were comfortable on this path, but something seemed different this time. Zane and Alec stopped when they heard something like footsteps behind them. "Alec, did you hear something?" Zane asked. "I don't know, let's keep moving" Alec replied as the two kept walking when they heard it again. "Is someone following us?" Zane asked when he turned around and to his surprise, there was nothing there, just their own shadows. "You're imagining it Zane, let's go home" Alec said as they continued, unaware that from their shadows, two pairs of beady yellow eyes were watching them.

They reached the sandlot a few minutes later when Zane heard a rattling sound behind them. "Alec, we're not alone…" he said as he slowly turned around. "Yeah, I know…" Alec replied worriedly as they looked around for the source of the noise. Suddenly Alec looked down and noticed that something wasn't right with his shadow; it looked as if it had two long, jagged antennae growing from the back of its head. "Zane! Look!" Alec exclaimed as it began moving on its own. "Our shadows are moving by themselves!" Zane exclaimed when suddenly they emerged from the ground; two black creatures with long, jagged antennae almost touching the ground and a pair of beady yellow eyes. Suddenly two became four, and four became eight; the two boys were surrounded. "This is bad Alec, _very_ bad!" Zane exclaimed as he looked at the creatures in horror. "You don't have to tell me twice!" Alec replied. The two stood back-to-back, cowering as the first of the creatures lunged at them, its claw high in the air, ready to strike.

Suddenly, the creature seemed to explode and faded away, revealing a person behind it with a long object in his hand. The creatures seemed shocked, and they changed targets, now going after the stranger. Just as one was about to strike him from behind, another man appeared and struck the creature out of existence; he too was holding a long object in his hand. "Guard those kids, I'll tackle the Neoshadows!" shouted the first man as he lunged towards the creatures, while the other one got between the others and the boys. "You made a grave mistake Heartless!" the second man shouted as he held out his palm and launched a glowing ball of plasma at them, destroying two of them in the blast from the impact. The first man, meanwhile, had impaled the last one through the chest, causing it to explode. "That's the last of them…" he muttered.

Alec and Zane stood in awe of the two strangers; they had never seen those creatures before, but the two men seemed to know what they were. "You alright?" the first man asked as he walked over to them. "I guess so…" Zane replied when he looked up in surprise, now able to make out his features; the man looked much like him, only older, and he could make out that the object in his hand looked much like a large key. Alec could make out the features of the other one and noticed that this one looked like _him_, also carrying a key-like object. "Thanks sir…" Alec said timidly, "who are you?" Neither man responded for several tense seconds before the first spoke up. "I'm Sora" he replied; "Riku" the other one said. Alec and Zane looked at them with curiosity.

"Thanks Sora, Riku, but we must be getting home now" Zane said when the one named Sora rested his hand on Zane's shoulder. Zane looked up and saw he was smiling faintly. He nodded before turning to Riku. "These are the ones, I'm sure of it" he said; Riku nodded and replied, "I was thinking the same thing." They each stepped in front of one of the boys and held out a hand. In Sora's palm was a charm shaped like a star, while in Riku's was one shaped like a black crown. "Take it" Sora said. Zane and Alec looked at the objects hesitantly then slowly took the gifts from their hands and put it in their pockets. "Thanks, but what are these for?" Alec asked. "You'll find out someday, when you're older" Sora said as he turned away, "but until then, farewell. Let's go Riku." He nodded and the two walked away into the night. "C'mon Zane, our mom's must be _really_ mad for us being this late" Alec said. "Oh! Right!" Zane exclaimed as the two ran home. They knew that their parents wouldn't believe their story, but they knew what had happened and that they would never forget it.


	2. Chapter 2 The Dream

Chapter 2 – The Dream

Unknown Location, Present Day…

Zane awoke in darkness, unsure of where he was. He slowly stood up on his feet and looked below him. There was a large seal, upon it were the faces of seven people around the border, then three symbols in the center, one resembling a tornado, another a rock, and another a raindrop. _Where am I?_ he thought as he looked around, _is this for real…or not?_ Suddenly, he heard a voice, one he had never heard before, yet it sounded familiar. "The power of the heart is great, but it can be controlled" the disembodied voice said, "your light shines brightly, as bright as the rising sun." Zane looked around frantically, trying to locate the source of the voice, but unable to do so.

"You must follow your destiny that lies before you" it said, "take your weapon, and move forward." Suddenly a sword appeared in front of him, one he had never seen before. Cautiously, he walked up to it and grabbed its hilt in his hands. Further in front of him, at the edge of the seal, a staircase appeared, which Zane followed up to find himself standing on another seal, this one with someone on it that resembled him in many ways, and another that appeared somewhat different, but similar nonetheless. "The shadows form from the shining light, but nevertheless, they can be vanquished…" the voice said, shortly before several short, black creatures with beady yellow eyes appeared on all sides. Zane looked at each of them, somehow knowing what he was to do. One of them attacked, which he struck back with his sword, destroying the creature just as two more of them attacked. Zane countered the pair as well, continuing to fight until each one of them had been destroyed.

_What were those things?_ He thought as he lifted his sword up to his shoulder, letting it rest there when he noticed yet another staircase. He followed this one up to yet another seal with a pattern resembling him and Alec, standing back to back. He stood in the center of the seal when he heard the voice speak again and noticed his shadow beginning to move on its own. "The closer to the light you are, the greater your shadow becomes…" it said as it suddenly grew and _stood up_, its form no longer resembling his but that of some gigantic monster. "But don't be afraid, for you hold the Key…" the voice said as Zane turned to try and run. He realized that the voice had told him essentially to confront the monster formed from his shadow. Zane turned back towards it and stared up into its face, its glowing yellow eyes staring back at him. Zane rushed towards it to attack, the giant creature retaliating with a swing from its massive fist, sending Zane sprawling backwards. He attacked again, with the same result; this pattern continued for some time until finally the creature grabbed him and a dark pool began forming below him. He felt a cold chill run up his spine and his vision beginning to fade as he was slowly pulled down into the abyss below…

"C'mon! Wake up, you lazy bum!" a voice said as Zane felt someone pushing against his shoulder. His eyes shot open and he sat up slowly. _What a strange dream…_ he thought as he rubbed his eyes. He had fallen asleep on a bench near the sandlot, and his friend Kate had finally noticed. "What is it the end of Summer Vacation already?" he asked jokingly, giving her his trademark grin. "Nope, not yet" she replied, smiling back at him, "for a moment I thought the gardener was just trimming somebody's tree, but when I came down here to say hi, it's just you taking a snooze!" Zane chuckled slightly, remembering the first time she had pointed out his snoring to him, which wasn't long after they had first met about ten years ago. "You know Zane, I'd say _good morning_ if it weren't half-past three in the afternoon" another voice said. Zane turned to his left to see Alec walking towards him, his grandstander bat resting at his side, "you missed my record-breaker." Zane stretched his arms and slowly willed himself to get to his feet. "So you finally broke a hundred?" he asked. "A hundred and twenty-five to be exact" Alec replied with a grin, giving him a thumbs-up. The previous record holder was Seifer, who had set his record of 99 almost twenty years ago, and hadn't been surpassed until today, even though there were rumors that somebody had unofficially beaten his record before then that had never been confirmed. "Glad to hear it Alec, all those years of practice have finally paid off!" Zane replied happily, "But you know there's still something that you're not the best at…" Alec grinned back at him, knowing what Zane was referring to. For years, the two of them had tried to decide who the better fighter was, but they'd never solved that dispute, as their fights always ended either in a tie, or the two of them having to run off to avoid getting in trouble for breaking something. "Alright boys, don't start this again" Kate said as she got between the two of them, "let's do something more interesting. Any ideas?" Zane had a few ideas as to what they could do, but there was one that he had wanted to try for years. "Let's check out the old mansion outside of town!" he said suddenly, the other two turning their heads towards him in alarm. "What!" Alec exclaimed, "Nobody's been there in over two decades!" Zane nodded, knowing that Alec was a bit worried about the events that supposedly took place there twenty years ago, and they were strange indeed. "C'mon Alec, there shouldn't be a problem as long as we get out before dark!" Zane teased, "What do you say?" After a few tense seconds, Alec relented, as he too was curious about what may be inside, but more because he didn't want to lose face in front of his friend and rival. "Alright, let's go…"

Inside the entrance hall of the old mansion, the trio looked around cautiously to make sure they were alone, despite the fact that no one had lived there for decades. "Looks like the coast is clear guys…" Zane whispered, "Let's check out the upper floors first…" He walked towards the staircase and slowly began ascending them, one creaking step at a time. There was something about this place that was already beginning to unnerve him; as if there was something there he may regret finding later. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, he noticed that all the doors were opened slightly save the one at the end of the hallway. Alec and Kate showed up behind him and noticed him staring at the door at the end of the hall. "What is it Zane?" Alec asked, "Something wrong?" Zane shook his head the continued to stare at it. "Out of all the doors in this house, why is that one the only that's closed?" he muttered as he slowly walked down the hallway towards it. He placed his ear against the door, listening for signs of life. Not a sound reached his ears, only dead silence. "What are you listening for?" Alec asked as he and Kate came up behind him. Zane didn't respond, instead turning his gaze towards the old door knob. He placed his hand on it and slowly turned it, pushing the door open cautiously.

He walked into the room and looked around. It was mostly decorated in white and shades of gray, with a bed, a nightstand, a chair and a desk, but what caught his attention was something on the walls. They were drawings, of people and places he didn't recognize at all. "Check it out…" he muttered as he looked at each one of them until his eyes came to rest on one that peaked his interest. It was a drawing of three people, all dressed entirely in black; one of them was a man with long, spiked red hair, another was a girl with black hair, and the third was somebody that seemed to resemble himself, if only barely. He looked closer at the drawing and saw three words inscribed below each of them in small writing; from left to right, they read _Xion_, _Roxas_, and _Axel_. He realized that these were the names of the people in the drawing, but there was another one written even smaller in the lower right-hand corner that read _Namine_. "Namine…" he muttered, "who's Namine?" Kate walked up behind him and noticed him staring at the drawing. "What is it Zane?" she asked. "It's nothing…" he replied, "but what were all these drawing for?" Alec stood in another part of the room, looking at different sketches, including one of what appeared to be a castle, completely white against a black background. It gave him an odd chill for some reason as he looked at it, but he was snapped out of his daze when he noticed the setting sun out of the window. "Guys, it's getting late, let's get out of here and come back tomorrow."

"Tell me Kate, what was it like where you came from?" Zane asked her as the three of them sat at the top of the clock tower. "I've told you before Zane, I don't remember" she replied, watching the sunset and eating an ice cream bar. Zane nodded and turned back towards the sunset. "Have you ever thought that there could be other places out there, even whole other worlds?" he said. "It's a possibility Zane, it's a possibility…" Alec replied, "But suppose there _are_ other worlds. That means that we're just a small part of something much greater than ourselves, a tiny fish in a great big pond." Zane rolled his eyes, knowing how philosophical Alec could get at times; as entertaining as Alec could be, he could also be a bore. "I saw that!" Alec teased as he shoved Zane playfully. "Hey!" Zane exclaimed as he shoved Alec back. "Boys! Stop it!" Kate interjected, the three of them laughing through the whole shoving match until they had to go home.


	3. Chapter 3 Darkness Rising

Chapter 3 – Darkness Rising

Late Evening, Twilight Town…

At the gates of the old mansion, a shadowy figure stood alone, nearly invisible in the black of the night. He was in an isolated area as a precaution, even though his presence would fail to arouse suspicion, four when he was last here twenty years prior, he was nobody, and it was through nothing that he attempted to gain control of everything in the form of the one source of power great enough to cause a war between the worlds. He was here now because he finally had the weapon he needed to obtain what he sought.

Alec stepped out of the forest and into the clearing by the mansion's gates. He noticed the other person there and nodded in greeting. "I came, just as you asked" Alec said as he walked over to him. "Indeed…" the other replied as he looked at him from under his hood, "did you find it?" Alec nodded and replied, "Yes, it's at the 'twelve' on the face of the clock at Station Heights. The other man smiled from under his hood but only said, "you are nearly ready, but there is a final test." Suddenly a large number of shadowy creatures appeared around Alec, each staring at him with beady yellow eyes. "Summon your weapon and show me what you've learned…" he said as he stepped back, the creatures surrounding Alec. Alec closed his eyes and focused his mind, calming every muscle in his body, allowing him to move as if he were not merely flesh and blood, but swift and fluid like a rushing wind. He raised his hand to the sky above, and out of a swirl of darkness, a key shaped weapon appeared in his hand, one that he had learned was called Kingdom Key. The creatures attacked, and one by one, Alec struck them down, his Keyblade hacking each one out of existence with ease. With the creatures destroyed, the man approached Alec and stood in front of him. "You are ready to fulfill your destiny Alec" he said, "get ready, for you leave this world tomorrow evening." Alec nodded in agreement. "I accept the Darkness" he said, "I'm with you…Master Xehanort."

Zane sat high on the clock tower, watching the sunrise. For some reason he hadn't been able to sleep very well lately, so he would get up early in the morning while it was still dark out and head up to Station Heights where he would watch the sunrise, the Sun's glow seeming to give him a greeting in the form of the new day. This time, something felt different to him, as if he weren't all alone at the top of the clock tower. As he heard light footsteps behind him, he realized his feeling was right. "I knew I'd find you here" Kate said warmly as she walked over to Zane and sat down beside him, "So…what are you doing here?" Zane hesitated with his answer, as he wasn't sure how to respond, or how she would react. "Uh…I'm just…watching the sunrise" he replied, scratching the back of his head. Kate sighed and rolled her eyes; Zane was a bad liar, especially for the fact that whenever he lied to her, he had an odd tendency to start blushing. "Why are you really here?" she asked, shoving him teasingly. "Cut it out!" Zane exclaimed playfully, resisting the urge to shove her back. "All right…but promise me not to tell anyone, especially not Alec…" he said as he took a deep breath and began describing his predicament, "I've been having these weird thoughts lately, and nothing about them make any sense…I mean, I think, is this for real…or not?" Kate listened intently as Zane described his thoughts more in-depth, especially when he began describing a dream he had the previous day. "…and then I was being pulled down into the shadows, and everything seemed to close in…then I woke up" Zane said, "so yeah, that's what's been bothering me lately, in that it all seems so…real…" Kate tilted her head to the side slightly as she thought about everything he had told her. She knew that dreams rarely if ever told the future, but it amazed her how vividly he remembered it. "You lost me at the dream" Kate replied sympathetically, "Sorry…" Zane stared at her sheepish expression and couldn't help but smile. "That's alright Kate" he said as he turned back towards the sunrise, "I know no more about this than you do" he replied, "but still, it worries me…"

A few hours later, Zane and Kate walked into the sandlot to see Alec standing in the middle, but rather than practicing at Grandstander like he usually did, he just stood there, completely silent and unmoving. "Alec!" Zane exclaimed as he ran over to him, "what's going…" Alec held out his arm in a gesture that meant, "STOP!" Zane froze where he stood, stunned at Alec's sudden change in mood. "What do you want Zane?" he asked sternly. Zane was puzzled, not quite sure why Alec seemed to be in such a foul mood. "I was wondering, do you wanna go back to the mansion today?" Zane asked. "No thanks…" Alec replied flatly, not even turning around to face Zane. "Hmmm…okay, your loss" Zane said, as he turned back around towards Kate and walked towards her when he turned back towards Alec. "Alec, you sure you don't…" he began when he was cut off upon turning around and seeing that Alec had vanished, "Huh? That's weird…"

Alec sat on top of a roof, looking down on Zane and Kate as they stood in the sandlot wondering where he had gone. He didn't want anything to do with them, as he couldn't find it in him to tell them what was coming that night. Sorry Zane...Kate...but this world...must end!" he thought as he walked off in the direction of his house to pack for the long journey ahead.

Late that evening, Zane lay awake in his bed, even though his parents had long since gone to bed. He could hear the wind blowing outside his room, far stronger than normal. Despite this, he tried to get some sleep and was just dosing off when he heard a thump on the window. He ignored it at first until he heard it again. Aw…now what? he thought in exhaustion as he slowly rose from his bed and walked over to the window. He looked out the window to see Kate waving frantically to him below. Based on the expression on her face, Zane knew it was important, and so he quickly put his clothes on, opened the window and climbed out before descending a ladder left by the men his parents hired to clean the windows. "What is it Kate?" Zane asked, staggering as a strong gust of wind nearly blew him over when he noticed the expression on Kate's face. She was frightened, by what Zane didn't know, nor was he sure he wanted to find out. "Zane! Look!" Kate exclaimed, pointing towards the sky near the clock tower. There was a large black void, into which the sky seemed to swirl and disappear; the winds seemed to blow towards it as well, giving Zane the frightening impression he was staring into a black hole. Damn, I've gotta stop reading comic books…he thought. "Let's check it out!" Zane exclaimed as he was about to run towards Station Heights when he felt Kate grab his arm. "No! It could be dangerous!" she shouted back to him over the wind. "Alec might be there already, we need to find him then find out what's going on!" Zane shot back. With a sigh of defeat, Kate let go and followed him up to Station Heights.

Alec stood on the ground outside the clock tower, staring up into the abyss that would ultimately consume the heart of his world. It was a bit drastic, he admitted, but it was the only way he knew of how he could get off of his world. "Alec!" Zane shouted as he came up behind Alec, "What's going on!" Alec turned around towards Alec and smiled. "We're getting out of here! All of us!" he exclaimed, "I should warn you though, we won't be able to return, and we may never see our families again…but we have to be Brave. There's no turning back now! I'm not afraid of the Darkness!" He extended his arm towards Zane and Kate and waited for a response. Zane hesitated then tried to reach his hand out to Alec when he felt something pulling him down. He was being engulfed in darkness, much like his dream. "Kate!" he shouted as he turned to see her being sucked down as well. He shut his eyes and tensed his muscles, expecting to be crushed out of existence when suddenly there was a bright flash.

The darkness faded and disappeared, as did Alec, but that wasn't what caught Zane off guard. He looked at an object in his hand and heard a voice in his head; don't be afraid, for you bear the Keyblade… "Keyblade…" Zane thought as he turned around and saw that Kate had been surrounded by small black creatures with yellow eyes. Sensing a threat, Zane charged at them, swinging the Keyblade furiously as he cut one of the creatures down. The others turned their attention to him and attacked with rapid swipes of their claws. Zane rolled out of the way and slashed back at them one at a time until the last one fell to his onslaught of attacks; "You alright Kate?" he asked. Kate smiled and was about to respond when a violent tremor shook the ground beneath them and a loud rumbling noise sounded above the raging storm. Suddenly there was a great cracking noise as large fissures appeared on the ground and the earth beneath them was being pulled up. The bells of the clock tower rang tumultuously as the tower's foundations gave way and the massive structure was ripped apart. "Get down!" Zane shouted as he ducked down, covering Kate. Things can't possibly get any worse can they? he thought when he noticed two large yellow lights in front of him. They slowly rose up until they towered above him, his gaze moving from the massive creature's feet to the top of its head. This can't be happening! My shadow…dream…Darkside! he thought as he stood up, placing himself between the Darkside and Kate. "Stay down! I'll handle this!" he shouted as he ran up to it and leapt into the air, hacking away at one of its fists. The Darkside shrugged off the insult and slammed its fist into the ground towards Zane. He barely leapt in time to evade it, the fist creating another tremor as it struck the ground. I can't go for the arm; I'll have to aim for the head… Zane thought as he jumped onto the Darkside's arm and ran up to its shoulder. The creature stood back up to its full height and swung at him, attempting to swat him off, but Zane held fast. Eventually there was an opening, and Zane leapt off its shoulder as he brought an overhead slash down on the top of the Darkside's head and brought it all the way down its full height. Zane jumped back as the creature staggered and fell, disappearing as if it were no more than smoke. There was no time to be relieved as Zane noticed that him and Kate were being pulled up to the portal. Kate had seen this too and suddenly ran over to him and grabbed onto him, almost choking him as she held on for dear life. "This is it Kate!" Zane shouted, "It's over!" Zane felt his vision fade as the two of them were sucked into the void until he blacked out.


	4. Chapter 4 New Worlds

Chapter 4 – New Worlds

Unknown Time, Unknown Location…

Alec awoke lying flat on his back, despite him having left his world on his feet; everything around him was dark, but when he stood up, he realized he was on a bridge, with a large city behind him, and in front of him, a huge, white castle that he immediately recognized. _It's the castle from the drawing!_ He thought, _so THIS is where Master Xehanort wanted me to go…_ Gathering his courage, he walked across the bridge slowly, being sure not to look down over the edge, as he knew it was a long way down. _But why would the castle be in a drawing, and what of the people and the black coats in the other drawings?_ He thought just as he reached the other side of the bridge when suddenly, a figure appeared seemingly out of nowhere as if to impede his progress; it was tall, very imposing, and dressed entirely in black, with a long coat having a hood that concealed the wearer's face. Alec could tell, even without seeing the creature's face, that its intentions were hostile. "Who are you!" he shouted, "and why are you blocking my way!" "You are an intruder" the voice replied in a voice that oddly seemed to lack any emotion whatsoever, "and those who trespass upon this sacred ground shall be punished…by death!" Suddenly, out of a swirl of flames, a massive broadsword appeared in its right hand, which he lifted up to a level just beside his head and pointing towards Alec as he slid his right leg back into a fighting stance. "Alright then, if it's a fight you want…" Alec replied as he entered the same fighting stance while summoning the Kingdom Key, "it's a fight you'll get!"

The shadowy figure attacked first, lunging at Alec in a flurry of rapid attacks, with Alec, being unable to parry the blows, dodge rolling to evade until he managed to get behind his adversary and slashed him from behind. His opponent staggered slightly but appeared virtually unharmed. "You're a brave one…" the man said without any hint at him feeling pain, "but it takes more than valor to win a battle!" He quickly leapt into the air and attacked Alec again, but this time, Alec was ready for him, and was able to parry then push his sword away before attacking again with a direct strike under the chin. The opponent was flung backwards through the air and landed flat on his back, but was back on his feet less than two seconds later, seemingly unfazed. _How many hits can this guy take!_ Alec thought frantically.

His opponent was having similar thoughts; _I can't keep going on like this…_ the man thought, _I'll have to call in backup…_ He raised his right hand in the air, and out of the ground, several grey-white creatures appeared from the ground. _Let's see how he handles some Dusks…_ he thought as he pointed towards Alec, ordering the Nobodies to take him out. Alec struck at them, only for, to both his horror and disgust, they bent every which way from the blow, but seemed undamaged. _What ARE these things!_ He thought just before he was struck. The Dusks attacked again and again until at last Alec fell to his knees, unable to fight any longer. "You've lost, now it is for you to except your fate…" the man said as he brought the broadsword high over his head, "this…is the end!" Alec, on the other hand, was in turmoil; his mind had given up the fight, as had his body, but his heart, somehow, was far from defeated, and began calling upon a strength that Alec never knew he had. Just before the man could finish Alec, a massive explosion of dark energy blasted him back onto the bridge while completely obliterating the Dusks. His opponent looked back up after the explosion had cleared to see his foe completely changed; his Keyblade had transformed from a gold and silver one to one as black as the night sky, and he was now wearing an odd type of body suit with the Nobody ensign emblazoned on his chest. _What the…his Keyblade…is Oblivion!_ the man thought, _he's overflowing with energy! How can I fight this!_ He was thinking in practical terms of course, given that, being what he was, he couldn't feel emotions, and least of all, fear. He stood back up and rushed his opponent in a full run, Alec doing the same when suddenly another figure in a black coat appeared and struck them down with a red and black Keyblade. "Stop this at once!" the man shouted; Alec, recognizing the voice, suddenly returned to normal and replied, "I apologize Master Xehanort, but that guy over there attacked me first!" "Indeed…" Xehanort replied as he turned to the other man, "Number VII, what did I tell you about controlling your aggressive tendencies?" The other man didn't respond for several seconds before replying, "I apologize Number I, it won't happen again…" "It had better not…" Xehanort replied coldly, "now come with me you two, you're late for the meeting…" In a swirl of darkness, the trio disappeared.

The next moment, Alec found himself in the center of a room; there were thirteen thrones on all sides, all but one being occupied by someone wearing a black coat, but all of them had their hoods down, including Xehanort, whom Alec noticed was in the throne directly in front of him. "This is Neo-Organization XIII, a group of individuals such as you and I, Alec" Xehanort said, "like you, we desire the power of Kingdom Hearts to reunite the separated Worlds, and create a complete one, where injustices would cease to exist." Alec nodded just before looking around at the others around him, not quite sure what to make of them. "I shall introduce the other members to you starting from my immediate right" Xehanort continued before gesturing to a man on his right with long black hair and blue-grey eyes, "the one on my right is Number II, Makxir, and is known as the Harbinger of Death." Alec happened to look up into Makxir's eyes and was very much intimidated, as he had the look in his eyes of someone who could kill without feeling any remorse. "To his right is Number III, Xander" Xehanort continued as he gestured to a man with white hair and ice-blue eyes, "also known as the Cold Tactician." Alec nodded at this as well, noticing that Xander also appeared to live up to his moniker. "Next is Number IV, Ezio, who is also known as the Spirit of the Waves" Xehanort said, gesturing to one of the five members besides himself and Alec who weren't Nobodies before gesturing to the next, "next to him is Number V, Voexyn, the Lightning Dancer." Alec nodded before turning towards the next pair, one of whom seemed vaguely familiar. "Next is Number VI, Aleksey, the Stone-Hearted Warrior" Xehanort added, knowing that although Aleksey was a Somebody, he _acted_ more like a Nobody. He then gestured to a man with fiery red hair and bright blue eyes before he added, "and you're already acquainted with Number VII, Xyru, also known as the Rogue Knight." Alec nodded towards Xyru, the latter not reacting in any way. "Also, there's Number VIII, Raxan, the Acolyte of Deception" Xehanort continued, "next to him is Number IX, Kaizen, simply known as the Destroyer, while next to him is Number X, Lymann, the Eternal Enforcer." Alec took note of the three he just mentioned and made a mental note to be wary of 'the Destroyer'. "Finally, we have Number XI, Vallen, the Spatial Cleaver, and Number XII, Meilyx, the Maiden of the Winds" Xehanort said, finishing the introductions when he added, "and then there's Number XIII…" Alec looked up at Xehanort with a questioning look, the latter adding, "Alec, the Fallen Angel." _The Fallen Angel…_ Alec thought _hmm…it suits me, I guess…_ "Your seat is the unoccupied one between me and Number XII" Xehanort continued, gesturing to the empty throne at his left, "Now…this meeting is adjourned, Alec, Xander, Voexyn, Xyru and Meilyx, report to the Gray Area to receive your assignments. The rest of you, you already you're your assignments. Dismissed!"

Late Evening, Traverse Town…

Zane woke up in a daze, feeling as if he had been hit in the head; all he could tell was that Kate was still passed out in his arms, it was late at night, and he was lying on what felt like cobblestones. For a second, he thought he was in Twilight Town, when he realized that the architecture of the buildings was very different from what he was use to seeing; then he saw it, a neon sign that read 'Traverse Town'. _Oh great…I WASN'T dreaming…_ he thought bitterly when he noticed Kate starting to wake up. "Wha…Zane? Where are we?" she asked as she looked around, slowly rising to her feet. "Not a clue…" Zane replied as he too stood up when he pointed to the sign he saw, ""but it's a pretty safe bet we're in a place called Traverse Town." Kate's eyes grew wide in horror at that. "Then it wasn't a dream! Twilight Town is _gone_!" Kate exclaimed as she looked around, starting to panic. "Kate, get a hold of yourself!" Zane shouted as he grabbed her shoulders and waited a few seconds for her to calm down, "there's no need to panic about this, or it could get even worse! Now we need to find someone here who knows what's going on!" Kate, finally calmed down, nodded in reply and followed Zane out of the ally.

About two hours later, Zane and Kate could find nobody who could tell them of their friends or family, and the two of them were giving up hope. "Well, looks we're on our own…" Zane said in defeat as the two of them sat on a bench, "so much for getting help...what could have happened to Alec?" Zane asked in a worried tone. "I don't know, but he was acting pretty funny if you ask me…" Kate asked when Zane noticed several pairs of glowing yellow eyes approaching them. "Look out!" he exclaimed as he tackled Kate out of the way just as the creature leapt to attack; Zane stood back up and noticed that they were the same enemies that tried to attack Kate earlier. _C'mon! What is it with these Shadow-things?"_ he thought as he summoned the Kingdom Key in preparation for battle. A pair of Shadows lunged at him, only for Zane to slice them out of existence, followed by the next pair and the pair after that until they were all finished off.

As Zane caught his breath, he heard someone clapping from behind him. "Not bad for a Kid…" said a man's voice from behind Zane. Zane turned around to face a man who couldn't have been much older than his early twenties, if that; the man had black hair, blue eyes, and wore what appeared to be light armor over the entirety of his body, as well as carrying a katana in each hand. "Now, I'll be taking that Keyblade. It should belong to someone who can utilize its full potential" said the man, "Hand it over!" "Not gonna happen!" Zane replied, "You want it? Try and take it!" The other man's smile turned into a slight scowl as he replied, "So be it…"

The stranger ran at Zane like a berserker, slashing wildly with his katanas. Zane, on the other hand, dodge rolled just out of the way before striking his foe in the back, knocking him off to the side. He recovered quickly as if he had never been hit; "Think about it, Boy" he said, "I've been fighting since I was far younger than you are. Do you _really_ think having the Keyblade will make much of a difference?" "You bet it will!" Zane shot back as he went on the offensive, hacking away at Zane until their weapons were literally locked together when Zane noticed something critical: the blades of his opponent's katanas were caught in the teeth of the Keyblade! With a sharp flick of the wrist, Zane twisted the Keyblade around, snapping the blades of the stranger's katanas off as if they were toothpicks. The stranger's eyes widened in shocked as he was suddenly disarmed and subsequently struck down, with Zane's Keyblade at his throat. The stranger smiled and said, "looks like you're a true Keybearer after all…" "Who are you?" Zane asked as he caught his breath. "Just call me…Fletcher…" the stranger replied as he stuck out his hand, "can you give me a hand here?" Zane grabbed Fletcher's hand and pulled him to his feet, the latter continuing, "and what might your name be?" "My name is Zane" Zane replied, "and my friend is Kate." Kate walked over to Zane and smiled. "I never knew you could fight like that Zane, maybe we should practice together sometime!" she teased. "What? Me and you? Right, you don't know how to fight and you don't have a weapon…" Zane said, "So how ca…" He was cut off as one last Shadow appeared behind him, but before he could turn to attack, Kate pointed towards it and shouted "Thunder!" In a flash, it was gone; Zane, completely shocked, slowly turned back towards Kate and said, "I stand corrected…" "C'mon you two, I have a couple of extra rooms rented out in the condominiums, you two can stay with me for the night" he said, gesturing for Zane and Kate to follow, and so the trio walked off into the night.


	5. Chapter 5 Heartless

Chapter 5 – Heartless

Early Morning (not like you can tell, since it's always dark), The World that Never Was…

Alec walked into the Gray Area more or less half-asleep, despite having three cups of coffee to try and wake himself up; yesterday was simply a tour of the castle and an orientation into what he might be doing, but he remembered being told that the following day he would be given his first official mission. He noticed Makxir was standing in the center of the room, apparently waiting for him. Alec walked over to the Organization's Number II and asked, "I'm up, what's my assignment?" Makxir paused for a few seconds, Alec not sure whether the other person was thinking or what. "You are to conduct reconnaissance with Number XII" he replied, "She's waiting for you already." "Huh? Oh, understood…" Alec said, still only half-awake as he scanned the room when he noticed another member with their face concealed by their hood, but based on the person's form Alec was certain that it must be Meilyx. Alec walked over to her and said, "I'm ready." Meilyx didn't reply, instead holding out her hand and opening a door to darkness before gesturing for him to walk through. Alec did as instructed just before Meilyx followed suit and the portal dissipated.

The two of them emerged just outside of what appeared to be a small town, and in the distance, one of the strangest-looking castles Alec could ever imagine. "Welcome to Radiant Garden" Meilyx said flatly. "Radiant Garden? That's what this place is called?" Alec asked, somewhat surprised that the other person had spoken. "That's right, now let's get moving…" Meilyx replied when Alec grabbed her shoulder. "Before, we go, I have a question" Alec said, "I noticed something about you and some of the other members, in that all of you seem…how should I say it, lost, as if you don't know what to think or how to feel…why is that?" Meilyx lowered her head somewhat and seemed about to reply when Alec added, "I would prefer if we could honest with each other, so would it be alright if you could show me your face?" Meilyx hesitated for a few seconds, seemingly shocked, or perhaps afraid, until at last she pulled back her hood, reveling her face to Alec; Meilyx had very pale skin, silvery blue hair at shoulder length, and gray-blue eyes that, despite her not showing emotion in her speech, had a very sad, depressed look to them. "It's because I, and some of the others, lack Hearts" Meilyx replied, still without any hint at emotion, "and Hearts are what allow you to feel most emotions." "Wha…What do you _mean_ you don't have a Heart?" Alec exclaimed, "You don't _look_ like a Heartless!" "It's a bit more complicated than that…" Meilyx replied, "When somebody with a strong heart becomes a Heartless, sometimes their body and soul remain to form what's called a Nobody, which is the same person, except they lack hearts, and so are invulnerable to the Darkness, but at the cost of being unable to feel emotions…" Meilyx sighed and looked towards the town as she continued, "all we have left that makes us even remotely human is our memories, because we can _remember_ what it's like to feel emotions, but we don't really feel…you know what I'm saying?" Alec nodded, still a bit confused but deciding that he had asked enough questions. "Alright, let's get on with this mission" he said as he raised his hood, concealing his face, as did Meilyx before the two of them walked into the town.

People did take note of them, but only in the form of an occasional glance in their direction, nothing to hint at suspicion. "So what type of information are we here to gather?" Alec asked in a slightly hushed tone. "We're to gather information on the locals" Meilyx replied, "which is pretty simple; all you have to do is observe everything around you, then we leave later in the afternoon. Sound easy enough?" Alec nodded in response before turning back to the task at hand, but as much as he knew he was supposed to be watching the locals, for some reason he found himself stealing an occasional glance at Meilyx. He wondered what it was like, not feeling any emotions, no happiness, sadness, anger, remorse, nothing. _Must really suck to live a life like that…_ Alec thought.

Eventually, the two of them made it through the town completely and decided it would be time to head back, but just as Meilyx was about to open the Door to Darkness to leave, several creatures appeared around them on all sides. "Soldiers…" Meilyx said flatly as she summoned a silver-blue naginata, "let's take 'em down Alec." "My thoughts exactly…" Alec replied with a grin as he summoned Oblivion. The Soldiers, sighting the Keyblade, immediately lunged to attack Alec, the latter leaping out of the way before countering by tossing his keyblade at his foes, taking out two of them at once. He landed and reclaimed his Keyblade when he took note of Meilyx fighting off six Soldiers; her movements were incredibly fluid, but the ferocity of her attacks would put even the most powerful storm to shame as she either hacked her foes down with her naginata, or ripped them apart with Aero spells. Without missing a beat, Alec joined the fight and took out another six that were targeting Meilyx with a series of rushing attacks. With the last of Alec's attacks, all was calm again. "Not bad" Meilyx said, seeming to show in the way she spoke that she was impressed. "Not bad yourself" Alec replied just as Meilyx opened the Door to Darkness and they returned to the Castle.

The next morning, as the sun was beginning to rise, Zane, Kate and Fletcher were already up, getting to know each other over breakfast. "…So the moral of the story is: don't ask where the sword came from, just pick it up and fight!" Fletcher exclaimed as he finished telling a story from when he was a kid. "So…when was the first time you saw a Heartless?" Zane asked, referring to the creatures which only an hour ago he had been told the name of. "Well, it's a long story…but I'll tell you anyways…" Fletcher replied, "it was ten years ago on a world known as Tempest…"

10 years ago…

Despite it being early in the morning, the clashing of steel blades could be heard ringing out through the entire area; the source of this noise were two young boys, both of whom were martial arts and sword-fighting apprentices. The two boys had been friends and rivals for a long time, and so they would often practice their techniques together, if only to try and one-up each other, but despite this, their masters sometimes watched them spar. In this particular duel, both appeared evenly matched.

"Get ready for this Fletcher!" a boy with bright blue eyes and fiery red hair shouted as he brought his sword down on his opponent. "I'm not through yet!" replied Fletcher as he parried the blow, knocking his opponent's sword away slightly before kicking him away. Recovering, the other boy leapt up into the air and knocked Fletcher down, the tip of his blade to Fletcher's neck. "Not bad Ryu, not bad" Fletcher said with a wide grin as Ryu helped him back to his feet. "You did pretty well on your end Fletcher" Ryu replied with a warm smile when suddenly his expression changed. There was a strange man in a long, black coat standing not too far from them, facing a rock that didn't seem to be of much interest when suddenly a large key-like object appeared in his hand just before he struck the rock. There was a sound similar to a door being unlocked, followed by a massive tremor that forced Fletcher and Ryu to the ground. When Ryu looked back up, the man was gone.

Suddenly, everything went dark, and strange, yellow-eyed creatures started appearing around them. Fletcher and Ryu jumped to their feet and stood back-to-back, their broadswords glistening despite the light having faded. "What are these things!" Ryu exclaimed; "Not a clue Ryu, but they're definitely hostile, let's get 'em!" Fletcher shouted just before he and Ryu lunged at the creatures.

The shadowy monsters were easy enough to dispatch, but as one was defeated, two more would appear, making it so that Fletcher and Ryu were fighting a losing battle. "Fletcher, listen!" Ryu shouted, "These creatures are relentless, they'll never stop until we're wiped out. One of us has to get away…and that one should be you!" "What! No! I won't abandon you!" Fletcher shouted as he stood back-to-back with Ryu. "Just go Fletcher! I'll catch up!" Ryu replied as he struck another down, "I promise you, we'll meet again!" Fletcher, a bit hesitantly, finally decided to heed his friend's wish and broke off into a run, escaping into the night.

Ryu was now alone, under an onslaught of nearly a thousand enemies, all hell-bent on taking him out. Ryu was fighting as long and hard as he could, until he was exasperated. The creatures began to close in when something very strange happened; his eyes changed from blue to amber, and the next moment, his broadsword was engulfed in flames as he launched berserk attacks against his foes, mowing them down in droves. Eventually, however, their numbers began to overwhelm him. _We'll meet again…_ Ryu thought as he, now confident that Fletcher had escaped, succumbed to the onslaught and was consumed by the Darkness…

"…And that was the last I ever saw of him" Fletcher lamented, concluding his story, "he was consumed by the Darkness…and because of his sacrifice, I remain here today, fighting the Heartless ever since…" Zane and Kate were both shocked and sad at what Fletcher had told them, mainly because it had a disturbing similarity to the destruction of their World. "Wow…I'm sorry…" Kate said, almost on the verge of tears from Fletcher's story. "Nah, it's alright, you can't change the past" Fletcher replied, "but it is for that reason alone why I fight the Heartless, because, sooner or later, I'll defeat the Heartless created from _his_ heart, and only then will I be able to see him again…"


	6. Chapter 6 Encounter

Chapter 6 – Encounter

Early Morning, Radiant Garden…

A Door to Darkness appears on the outskirts of the town, and from it appear two figures in black coats. They had been there just three days prior to conduct reconnaissance, which was simple enough, but now they were here for a much more urgent reason, one that needed to be dealt with immediately. "So, remind me, what's the mission?" Alec asked Meilyx, both of them with their hoods up for stealth. "A powerful Heartless has appeared somewhere in this World" Meilyx replied, "and we're here to defeat it, whatever it may be." Alec was wondering what Meilyx meant when she said 'powerful', as of all the Heartless he'd had to fight, they were all weak, and fairly quick to dispatch, yet when he thought of what a 'powerful' Heartless might look like, the image he saw in his mind's eye was nothing less than terrifying. "Alright…" Alec replied, "Let's go find this Heartless…" However, just as he turned around, several Heartless appeared on all sides of a type he had never seen before but resembled something like a knight with blue armor. "Zip Slashers, perfect…" Meilyx muttered as she summoned her naginata, "These are small fry Alec, let's finish them off so we can get on with the _real_ mission." "Right!" Alec replied as he summoned Oblivion, "C'mon!"

It soon became clear to Alec that the Zip Slashers were no ordinary Heartless; they were extremely skilled in close-quarters combat, and often parried his blows before attacking him with powerful slash and stab attacks from their twin blades. Alec was constantly dodging and weaving in and out of the fight to evade their rapid strikes while occasionally getting in an attack of his own. "Alright, this is getting out of hand…" Alec muttered, "Time to turn it up a few notches!" Alec's Keyblade began glowing and became enveloped in dark energy as he counterattacked, only this time, he decimated their ranks, literally slashing clean through their blades and cleaving them sometimes completely in half before they exploded, releasing the hearts they contained.

As Meilyx was beginning to gain the upper hand over her set of Zip Slashers, she took note of Alec's fighting style. _He's a more aggressive fighter than anyone I've ever seen!_ She thought in amazement, _NOW I see how Xyru nearly lost to him…_ Meilyx, being able to sense air currents through her mastery of the winds, was able to predict each of her opponent's attacks and was thus never caught off guard. She attempted to spear the last Zip Slasher when it was suddenly engulfed in a violet-white fireball and was immediately incinerated. "It's amazing what the Darkness can do" Alec said with a smug grin, "When you've decided to embrace it rather than fight it." Meilyx recalled her naginata and replied, "alright Number XIII, let's quit wasting time and find that Heartless before _it_ finds _us_." "Sounds like an idea to me" Alec replied as the two walked into town to begin their search.

The town seemed normal enough, which meant that so far, Alec and Meilyx probably weren't even close to the Heartless yet. "C'mon…where could it be?" Alec asked. "I'm not sure…" Meilyx replied when she heard somebody saying something, "stay here, I'll be right back." Meilyx walked over to an area near someone's porch where three men were talking to each other. "…I was by the Castle towards dusk last night and out of nowhere this huge…monster appears…" one of them said in a hushed tone, "the thing attacked me like a banshee; it was relentless! I barely managed to escape from the creature before it disappeared as suddenly as it came…" Meilyx smiled faintly at hearing the man speak of his encounter, as she knew that he could only be referring to the Heartless. She walked back over to Alec and said, "By the Castle, that's where we should find it. Apparently someone else had seen it already." Alec nodded as the two of them started down the path towards the castle.

Soon enough, the two of them were standing just at the edge of the bridge leading to the castle known as Hollow Bastion, yet all was calm. "Hmm…there's the castle…" Alec muttered, "…but where's the…" Alec was cut off in midsentence as a massive creature dropped from the sky and landed right in front of him. It resembled a much larger version of the Zip Slasher, but with black and red armor and four arms instead of two, each tipped with a long, serrated blade. "A Mega Slasher!" Meilyx exclaimed in a tone that, had Alec not known she was a Nobody, would lead him to assume she was terrified; this told Alec that he was in for a tough fight, and even that was an understatement. "Let's take this beast down!" Alec shouted as he summoned Oblivion just before leaping up at the massive Heartless in a berserk overhead attack. The Heartless simply swatted him back using two of its massive arms, throwing Alec high in the air and causing him to land flat on his rear end. "For something so big, that thing's fast!" Alec exclaimed, "This won't be an easy fight!" The massive Heartless attacked Alec and Meilyx with a slash from its two front arms, the two Organization members leaping away to avoid the strikes. "You're not kidding!" Meilyx shouted back, "the Mega Slasher is extremely powerful, but it's also extremely aggressive; it often leaves itself open to attack after striking!" "Let's hope you're right, because her it comes again!" Alec shouted in reply as he and Meilyx leapt back onto the bridge to avoid the Mega Slasher's next attack. Alec attacked again, trying to catch it off guard after its attack, but his Keyblade didn't even make it flinch. He leapt back by pushing against it with his legs and landed next to Meilyx. "The Keyblade barely does a thing!" he exclaimed, "The armor on that thing is too thick!" "A Mega Slasher's only weakness is its head" Meilyx replied just before the two were forced to jump again to avoid a spinning slash by all four of the creature's blades, "aim for the head!" Alec nodded as he leapt up onto the Mega Slasher's arm, grabbing hold as the heartless violently tried to shake him off. Alec managed to inch his way up until he was right next to its head when he found himself staring right into its massive yellow eyes. "Take _this_!" he shouted as he stabbed the Keyblade into one of its eyes. Although it was impossible to stab the eyes out of a Heartless, the damage it inflicted was still great, and the Mega Slasher let out a loud roar as it violently recoiled from the attack, throwing Alec and his Keyblade off and back onto the bridge next to Meilyx. "Looks like I landed a hit!" Alec exclaimed as he stood back up, him and Meilyx charging in for another attack.

Meanwhile, on a hill overlooking the area, several people looked on in awe at the battle taking place. "It's the monster that attacked me! How can those two be fighting that thing!" a man exclaimed in pure amazement. "I don't know, but something about them seems familiar…" said a man with blond hair and wearing clothes that were worn out from years of constant traveling and fighting, "I don't know why, but it's as if I'd seen them fight before…" "What do you mean Cloud?" the first man asked, "You've encountered them before?" "Possibly…" Cloud replied, "But let's see how they fight first…"

Meanwhile, Alec and Meilyx were slowly losing ground to the Mega Slasher, its inexorable advance only slightly slowed by the pair's attacks. "We can't beat this thing!" Meilyx exclaimed, "We have to get out of here, now!" "No, I'm not giving up! I have the Darkness on my side!" Alec exclaimed as he was suddenly enveloped in Darkness; upon emerging, he was wearing the same body suit that he had at the end of his fight with Xyru, and his eyes had changed from blue to gold as he unleashed the full power of the Darkness. "Take this Heartless!" he shouted as he lunged at the Mega Slasher at a far greater speed than he had at any stage in the battle. He stuck at the creature again and again, doing more and more damage to it until at last he slashed it directly across the chest, landing from his attack several hundred feet behind it. The creature seemed unharmed, but after a few seconds, the Mega Slasher fell to its knees before crashing down to the ground. The body of the massive Heartless faded, and the heart it contained floated up into the sky. "Alec, exasperated, but undefeated, returned to normal and stood up. He turned around to face Meilyx before saying, "let's…get out of here…" Meilyx, still dazed from what had just occurred, nevertheless opened a Door to Darkness, and the two returned to the Castle that Never Was.

Back on top of the hill, everyone was astonished. "I don't believe it! They took that thing down!" one of the men exclaimed. "No, to me it looked like one of them was doing most of the fighting" Cloud replied, "…and he had a Keyblade…" "A Keyblade!" The man exclaimed, "I haven't seen one of those since…" "The Battle of the One Thousand Heartless…" Cloud replied before slipping into thought,_ that was most certainly not the same person…but if not him, then who was it?_

Late Afternoon, Traverse Town…

Zane, Kate and Fletcher were now on the run; Heartless had been attacking them at every turn, and there seemed to be no escape. "We can't keep going on like this!" Zane exclaimed, "is there _any_ way to reduce the attacks we take!" "I'm thinking!" Fletcher replied, considering the options, which consisted of running, fighting, and the third one which was perhaps the most dangerous one of all. "The only way that could happen would be sealing the World's Keyhole!" he exclaimed. "Keyhole? What's that?" "The Keyhole is the gateway to the Heart of a World" Fletcher replied, "It is the Keyhole that the Heartless seek, for if they can get to the Heart of a World, they consume it, causing the World's complete destruction! Sealing the Keyhole is the only way to weaken a Heartless presence on a World and prevent its destruction." Zane was taken aback by this, realizing that he and Kate had just discovered how their world had been destroyed. "Okay…so just how do we find this Keyhole?" Kate asked, clearly hoping that Fletcher knew more. "I'm not sure, it's different for every World" he replied, "but there's a local legend that might answer that question…" "What legend?" Zane asked, also hoping Fletcher might be able to give them something useful. "Three times the Bell shall toll, and in the opposite reveal the Keyhole" Fletcher replied, "and if the legend is somehow true, then we need to get to the Clock Tower in the Second District, so stick with me and we'll get there in no time at all." At that, Fletcher broke into a run, Zane and Kate following close behind. Kate clutched the straightsword that Fletcher had given her just the previous day in her right hand, knowing it wouldn't be long before she would have to use it.

Eventually the trio managed to make it to the top of the Clock Tower, with the rope for the bell hanging right in front of them. "Are you sure this will work?" Zane asked as he looked at Fletcher in a questioning tone. "I'm as sure as I can be, which is not very" Fletcher replied with an equal amount of doubt in his voice. Zane sighed and, in acceptance of the chance of it not working, said, "Well…here goes nothing…" He pulled the rope once, causing the bell to ring at an almost deafening level. Zane rang it a second time, then a third before he stopped, his ears ringing from the loud noise. "Well…what now?" Zane asked. "That's it?" Kate asked, shocked that nothing seemed to happen. "Guys, look!" Fletcher exclaimed as he pointed to a mural on the fountain at the opposite end of the District, which clearly had a glowing, keyhole-shaped object on it, "The Keyhole has been revealed!" Zane and Kate ran over to see what it was and were amazed to see that Fletcher was right. "That's it…but how do I seal it?" Zane asked. Fletcher, not wanting to disappoint him, simply replied, "You'll know when it's time."

The trio now ran towards the Keyhole, eager to seal it and obtain a victory over the Heartless after what they had done to their Worlds. However, just as they were nearly in front of the Keyhole, several large objects dropped from the sky in front of them, landing with metallic clangs. The objects, five in all, two resembling feet, two resembling arms and the last a torso, arranged themselves as if they were all part of the same body. Last of all, a head dropped down, landing in its place on top of the torso section. "A Guard Armor!" Fletcher exclaimed, "We're in for it now!" "You're not getting in my way Heartless!" Zane shouted angrily as he called forth the Kingdom Key, Kate and Fletcher also drawing their weapons as the trio lunged into battle.

At first the battle seemed simple enough, in that they just had to attack the torso while watching for the other segments, until; that is, it inverted, it's arms and legs switching places, its torso flipping over, and the helmet's face guard dropping down. "Watch out guys, it just became the Opposite Armor" Fletcher said, "and this guy's much nastier than the Guard Armor was to begin with, especially with long range attacks." "Thanks for the warning!" Zane replied as he leapt to avoid one of its attacks. Kate, on the other hand, leapt away and launched a Fire attack, destroying one of the Opposite Armor's legs, and then Fletcher moved in and destroyed the other with a powerful overhead slash from his broadsword. At that, Zane moved in again and attacked its arms, destroying both with a loud clang as metal struck metal. The Opposite Armor, what was left of it anyways, switched tactics, retreating and launching powerful blasts at them in a desperate attempt to stave off its defeat. However, a well-timed slash from Zane's Keyblade deflected one of the blasts back at the Opposite Armor, the blast hitting and blowing it away in a bright flash, the only thing clearly visible being the heart contained within floating up into the sky. Zane landed back on the ground, Kate and Fletcher running over to him to see if he was alright. "I don't know about you…but that has to be…the hardest fought victory…I've ever obtained…" Fletcher replied, trying to catch his breath, "and I know…I couldn't have done it alone." "Thanks Fletcher…you did pretty well yourself…" Zane replied. "Uh...guys, sorry to interrupt, but what about the Keyhole?" Kate asked suddenly. "I'm on it" Zane replied as he spun around suddenly and hacked a Shadow out of existence, "I'm really getting sick of being ambushed…but I guess I'll have to get use to it…" He pointed the Kingdom Key at the Keyhole and fired a thin beam of light; with a locking sound, the Keyhole sealed, preventing the Heartless from ever consuming the Heart of Traverse Town.

Meanwhile, a man wearing a black coat with a hood stood alone on a rooftop; he had been watching the whole time, from the revealing of the Keyhole to this moment, and he had known for just as long as to what he was witnessing. _So this is the Keybearer of the Light…_ the man thought, _that complicates things…and I hate complications…_ He then opened up a Door to Darkness, stepped in, and disappeared, now knowing whom the Organization was most threatened by, and also that he was to be destroyed as soon as possible.


	7. Chapter 7 One Winged Angel

Chapter 7 – One Winged Angel

Early Morning, the World that Never Was

Alec walked into the Gray Area the same as he had the last several times, which was half-asleep. However, he didn't need to be fully awake to notice that strangely enough, Meilyx wasn't there. "Uh…Makxir, aren't I being paired up with Meilyx again?" Alec asked the Organization's Number II. "No, not today" Makxir replied flatly, "Today you are to be paired up with Kaizen. Good Luck." With that, Alec almost broke out into a cold sweat, knowing he was now paired up with 'the Destroyer'. Suddenly, someone walked up beside him and said, "So we're paired up for today?" the man said from beneath his hood. Alec, guess the other must be Kaizen, replied, "It would seem so…" Kaizen nodded, opening a Door to Darkness and allowing Alec through before following him in.

The two of them emerged at the outer end of the bridge leading to Hollow Bastion, with both of them checking to ensure no one was around. "So…why are we here?" Alec asked Kaizen, the latter having pulled back his hood, revealing his unkempt black hair and amber-colored eyes. "The Organization has decided to test you" Kaizen replied just as over fifty Shadows appeared in front of them. "Right, like that's fair…" Alec said as he summoned Oblivion when suddenly several violet bolts of energy streaked past him, destroying each of the Heartless within seconds. Alec turned around to find a bayonette pointed right between his eyes, and just above and behind that, the muzzle of a sniper rifle. "That wasn't part of it…" Kaizen replied, "For the test, you'll need to head down into the ravine beneath the bridge. Once you make it to the bottom, _then_ you will be tested." With that, Kaizen disappeared, warping off to who knows where.

It took Alec about half an hour to reach the bottom of the gorge, by which time he was really starting to consider all of the possibilities of what he might face. "I can handle a Darkside or maybe another Mega Slasher" Alec muttered, thinking aloud, "Or maybe some other type of advanced heartless…but something tells me that isn't what they intend." He looked around him and sighted nothing, which started to make him wary. He summoned Oblivion in preparation for an attack he was now certain would come.

Meanwhile, high on a ridge, Kaizen stood next to Xander, both of them overlooking the area where Alec was. "Okay, so what's Alec supposed to fight?" Kaizen asked, "A Guard Armor?" "No, stronger" Xander replied flatly. "A Mega Slasher?" Kaizen asked. "No, he already fought one" Xander replied in the same tone, "Even stronger." At this Kaizen seemed to be a bit worried and asked, "Uh…a Twilight Thorn?" "No, _far_ stronger" Xander replied before doing something he almost never did: smile. "Here's a couple of hints, it's _who_ not _what_ you should be asking" Xander replied, "And let's say he is sometimes referred to as the SOLDIER Commander." At this Kaizen's eyes widened in fear, now knowing _exactly_ who Alec would be fighting. "You've gotta be kidding me! He'll die!" Kaizen exclaimed frantically. "No he won't" Xander replied with an evil grin, "Not if he's as powerful as the superior claims him to be…oh, here he comes now!"

Alec was still waiting when suddenly everything turned dark, and from the sky dropped a man wearing a long black and red coat, his long silvery gray hair blowing in the breeze. A single deep blue wing could be seen rowing from his back, and at his side, a katana that had to be at least eight or nine feet in length. "What the…w-who are you!" Alec exclaimed, taking a step back into a fighting stance. "I saw you fight that Heartless the other day, and I must say your strength impressed me" the man replied, "But I want to see exactly how strong you _really_ are, fighting a _worthy_ opponent." "Don't evade my question! Who are you!" Alec shouted, irritated that his question wasn't answered. The man smirked and replied, "I am known by many names, the SOLDIER Commander, the One Winged Angel, but the one I most prefer is…_Sephiroth_!" With that, Sephiroth drew Masamune and entered a fighting stance. Alec had never heard the name before, but something about Sephiroth made his skin crawl, but he knew he had no choice. He had to win, or die trying!

Sephiroth attacked first with a swift combo strike from Masamune, which Alec leapt to evade as he entered his dark form, his body suit appearing on him. At this, Alec heard something in his head, _Call the Guardian_. At this, Alec shouted, "Come Guardian!" A dark symbiote appeared behind Alec, ready to fight alongside Alec against the One Winged Angel. Sephiroth attacked again, with Alec parrying with Oblivion while his Guardian attacked Sephiroth, knocking him back but doing next to no damage. "I see the Darkness is your ally" Sephiroth said as he flourished Masamune before saying, "But beware, lest it should consume you!" "I control the Darkness, it doesn't control me!" Alec shouted back in anger as he went on the offensive, the Guardian disappearing into Oblivion to increase its power. As Alec attacked with a berserk series of strikes, Sephiroth parried each blow with ease before blowing him back with Stigma. Alec landed to see Sephiroth levitating, the latter calling out "Descend…Heartless Angel!" Alec recalled the Guardian, which enveloped in Darkness; upon emerging, Alec was completely unharmed! "What the…impossible!" Sephiroth shouted angrily as he struck back with several berserk slashes, with Alec barely parrying them with his now powered-up Oblivion, the Guardian providing him the strength he needed to fight the One Winged Angel.

"Why is it you serve the Darkness, boy?" Sephiroth asked, both their weapons locked in lethal struggle, "On your own, you could be that much more powerful!" "There is strength in numbers!" Alec replied as he shoved Masamune aside and landed a slash attack to Sephiroth's chest, forcing his opponent back. Sephiroth, clearly enraged at Alec, began glowing with a white light, upon which he shouted, "Supernova!" Suddenly several massive meteors began falling from the sky, all of which were flying right at Alec. Alec leapt and managed to evade nearly all of them, save the final one, which he had the Guardian smash with its massive fist before having it return to Oblivion. Alec landed on the ground right in front of Sephiroth, the latter of which slashing at him again, the two of them constantly locking their blades as they attempted to overpower each other. "You're nothing compared to my nemesis!" Sephiroth taunted, "He would have put up a far better fight than you are!" "Shut up!" Alec shouted furiously as he used Oblivion to wrench Masamune out of Sephiroth's hands before kicking him back. When Sephiroth recovered, Alec was advancing with Oblivion in one hand and Masamune in the other, much to Sephiroth's surprise that the boy could actually _carry_ the massive weapon. Sephiroth frantically dodged each of Alec's attacks from both Oblivion and Masamune until at last Alec landed a lucky strike with Masamune. Sephiroth fell to the ground and looked up just in time to see Alec land the final blow.

Sephiroth, after the last attack, seemed defeated, and so Alec dropped Masamune to the ground before collapsing to his knees from exhaustion. Suddenly, Alec heard Sephiroth laugh as the latter stood up and reclaimed Masamune, causing Alec to think momentarily that Sephiroth was about to finish him when he resheathed the blade. "You're quite powerful" Sephiroth said with a half-smile, half-scowl, "Here, you've earned this…" The next instant, a Keyblade had appeared on the ground next to Alec; the shaft of the blade was silver, with the hand guard and teeth being orange-red and resembling smoke somewhat. "It's called One Winged Angel, and it's yours…" Sephiroth said, "Farewell…oh, and the next time we fight, victory will belong to me!" With that, Sephiroth disappeared, leaving Alec alone. Alec stood up, with Oblivion in one hand and One Winged Angel in the other.

"I…I don't believe it, he won!" Kaizen exclaimed in disbelief, "How did you know Xander!" At this Xander did something he did even less than smiling, he laughed. "He has many of Xehanort's powers" he replied, "Darkness is Alec's to control. He doesn't fight it, rather he embraces it." "Yeah…but what kind of test was this anyways?" Kaizen asked. "This was a test to see if he can vanquish his fear" Xander replied, "Now that he has defeated Sephiroth, he has absolutely nothing to fear…"

The Organization sat in the meeting hall to discuss the day's events and debrief on the status of different projects. "…And so I say to the guy 'don't pick a fight you can't win, got it memorized?' then I finished him off…" Xyru said as he finished telling the story of his mission, "but the _real_ moral of the story is don't pick a fight with a guy whose sword is bigger than yours!" At this nearly everyone one in the room burst into laughter, save Xander, Makxir and Xehanort. "Charming…" Xehanort said sarcastically, silencing the room before turning to Alec on his left, "So Alec, how was your mission?" "Well, the mission you gave me was a test of courage" Alec replied, "and I almost got killed in the fight…" "Really now? Whom or what did you fight?" Meilyx asked. "Hmm…his name started with an 'S'…oh yeah, his name was Sephiroth!" Alec replied. At this there was a low murmur in the chamber until Xehanort exclaimed, "What! You fought _whom_!" "Sephiroth, what's the big deal?" Alec asked naively. At this, Xehanort was fuming; he turned to Xander and shouted, "I told you to _test_ him, not _terminate_ him!" Xander didn't say anything, instead just shrinking away into his seat sheepishly. "I'm assuming you retreated Alec?" Ezio asked. "Nope" Alec replied flatly. "You…you _won_!" Ezio exclaimed, causing a louder murmur from the others. "Yes, and I have something to prove it" Alec replied as he summoned One Winged Angel as well as Oblivion, the latter to prove he didn't simply change his Keychain. At this everyone was shocked, but none more so than Meilyx, who for some reason was a bit confused with herself. _I don't get it, I thought you needed a heart to feel or care about others_ she thought _so…why do I find myself worried for his safety…and isn't worry an emotion?_

Early Morning, Traverse Town…

"Here she is, the _Star Runner_" Fletcher proclaimed as he, Zane and Kate walked into a dry dock near the World's exit. Fletcher had explained to them about Gummi Ships, but never once did they imagine something along the lines of what they were seeing. The _Star Runner_ had a very sleek, streamlined look to it with a silver hull and bright red wings. The Full Life-G cockpit was mounted near the front of the massive vehicle and could fit three, with a pair of what appeared to be gun turrets with one each on the top and bottom of the hull near the middle, and three massive Holy-G engines mounted in the rear. In the bow, four grooves were carved out for the massive Thundaga-G cannons, which as Fletcher pointed out, fired in sequence as opposed to simultaneously to make up for their low rate of fire, and in an internal weapons bay, the Ultima-G laser that made the ship truly lethal. "Whoa…" Zane muttered, "This is impressive." "Thanks, glad you like it" Fletcher replied, "Because from now on, this ship is your home, as it was mine for several years." "Okay, so we live here while traveling to other Worlds…but what if we're attacked by something?" Kate asked. "That's what the weapons are for" Fletcher replied, "The _Star Runner_ is armed to the teeth with every weapon I could fit on the thing, now if you're done with your questions, let's get on board!"

A few minutes later, the _Star Runner_ was ready to leave. "Engines, go…Life Support, go…Communications, go…Navigation, go…Flight Computer, go…" Fletcher muttered as he finished the checks. "Can we just get going already?" Zane asked impatiently. "Yep, all set" Fletcher replied when suddenly a voice spoke to them over the comms array. "This is Flight Control to _Star Runner_, you are not cleared for takeoff, the dry dock doors are jammed shut!" the voice said when they was a massive explosion as Fletcher shot them into oblivion with a single shot from the main guns. "Not any more they're not!" Fletcher replied. "Weapons, go!" Zane said jokingly, provoking a dirty look from Fletcher as he throttled up the engines to full power. With a loud roar, the _Star Runner_ screamed out of the dry dock and into the depths of space.

Hours later, Traverse Town had been left far behind, and both Zane and Kate seemed to have gotten over the excitement of flying in space for the first time. "Where are we going?" Zane asked. "We're heading to a World that I've been to once in the past called Olympus Coliseum" Fletcher replied. "Oh…" Zane replied, only to ask fifteen minutes later, "Are we there yet?" "No…" Fletcher replied. "I see where _this_ is going…" Kate uttered as she looked at the navigation computer to see, to her dismay, they weren't even half-way there yet. "Are we there yet?" Zane asked fifteen minutes after that. "No…" Fletcher replied, wondering how long Zane would take it. "Fletcher, are we there yet?" Zane asked again a half-hour later. "No…" Fletcher replied with a hint of irritation in his voice. "Are we there _yet_?" Zane asked again after a while. "Yes" Fletcher replied, just to see his reaction. "Really?" Zane asked excitedly. "No!" Fletcher replied. "Are we there yet?" Zane asked ten minutes later. "No!" Fletcher replied angrily. "Are we there yet?" Zane asked again a few minutes later. "NO!" Fletcher shouted, "And I swear if you ask me 'are we there yet' one more time, I will personally throw you out the airlock!"

At this Zane fell silent until he replied, "Well c'mon; I'm bored out of my mind!" "Entertain yourself!" Fletcher replied, not knowing he would soon regret saying that. A few minutes later, Kate looked over at Zane to see that he had randomly pulled a balloon from his pocket, inflated it and then popped it with a needle. Fletcher was obviously flustered by this, but didn't reply until the third time. "For one hour, can you _please_ be quiet!" Fletcher shouted in exasperation. In the next moment, Zane took a fourth one, placed it right next to his ear, and popped it again! "Argh!" Fletcher shouted as he began slamming his head on the control panel, "Are we there yet!" "The Coliseum's in sight, we're here!" Kate exclaimed, pointing ahead. "Finally!" Zane exclaimed excitedly, with Fletcher proceeding to place his face in his hand and shook his head. _Kids these days…_ he thought.


	8. Chapter 8 Shadows Revealed

Chapter 8 – Shadows Revealed

Early Morning, the World that Never Was…

Alec walked into the Gray Area fully alert, having finally been acclimated to his routine. He walked over to Makxir and asked, "What am I doing today?" "Today you're remaining here for a training session with Raxan, Number VIII" he replied, "Your skill in melee combat is clear, but we have yet to determine your ability with magic." Alec nodded when he noticed Voexyn, the Lightning Dancer, approaching. "So what's the mission today Makxir?" she asked. "You are to travel to Olympus Coliseum and enter the Games as a test of your skill." Voexyn tossed back her long blonde hair slightly and summoned a long chain whip, which she twirled around for a few seconds at a speed that easily surpassed the sound barrier before replying, "I won't disappoint you." With that, Voexyn disappeared into a Door to Darkness whilst Raxan appeared from another, a monk's spade in his right hand. "So are you ready for your training?" Raxan asked. "As ready as ever" Alec replied. Raxan nodded in acknowledgement before teleporting them away.

The two emerged in the Hall of Empty Melodies, with Raxan standing in front of Alec. "You are going to fight a powerful adversary Alec, but you are not permitted to use any weapons whatsoever" Raxan said, "Are you ready?" Alec, with a slight grin on his face, replied, "Bring it!" At that, a massive Heartless appeared at the other end of the hall. "Your opponent is a Dark Thorn" Raxan said, "Good luck." Alec laughed and replied, "You call _that_ a challenge! Watch this!" Alec changed to his Dark Form while slowly floated up a few feet in the air and folded his arms across his chest. "Just remember Number VIII, one who knows nothing can only understand nothing!" At that instant, the Guardian appeared from a swirl of darkness, its arms spread wide to catch any blow that came Alec's way. Raxan took a few steps back in shock. "Kingdom Hearts protect me…" he muttered as he watched Alec begin the fight with the Guardian hurling energy blades at the Dark Thorn, striking the massive Heartless several times. The Dark Thorn lunged at him to retaliate, but was blocked by the Guardian, which swiftly punched the Heartless back to the other side of the room. The Dark Thorn shook off the insult and attacked again, this time with Alec moving off to the side, allowing the Dark Thorn to pass before the Guardian attacked again, knocking the Heartless down. The Dark Thorn just managed to look up in time to see Alec about to finish it off. "Submit!" he shouted as the Guardian attacked one final time, finishing off the Dark Thorn, causing it to vanish in a swirl of Darkness.

Alec returned to normal then recalled the Guardian and floated back down to the ground, upon which he turned to Raxan and asked, "How did I do?" "You passed" Raxan replied flatly, "Good work." Alec smirked slightly when he noticed Meilyx walk into the area. "What's with the racket!" she shouted in a less-than-amused tone. "Just me wiping the floor with a Dark Thorn!" Alec shouted back. Meilyx smirked slightly as she teleported next to Alec and replied, "A Dark Thorn huh? Seems you're getting stronger every day!" "I'll say…" Raxan said suddenly, "His powers are identical to those of Master Xehanort's, only on a far greater magnitude!" "What! How is that!" Alec exclaimed in shock, Meilyx also being greatly surprised. "Xehanort can also summon the Guardian and wield a Keyblade" Raxan replied, "but _you_ have _two_ Keyblades, a Dark Form, _and_ the ability to summon the Guardian!" "Okay…" Alec replied, still a bit shocked, but nevertheless understanding the gravity of Raxan's words, "So…anyways, I'll be in my room if you need me…" With that, Alec teleported to his room, leaving Meilyx and Raxan behind in the Hall of Empty Melodies.

Later that day, Meilyx was walking down the hallway when a faint sound reached her ears; it was music, by the sounds of it being played on a guitar. Following the sound, Meilyx walked down several halls until she reached the source: Alec's room. The door was slightly ajar, so Meilyx peeked inside to see Alec sitting on his bed, strumming on a guitar to a song she had never heard before. He suddenly stopped, looked towards the door and said, "It's best if you knock, you know." Meilyx slowly stood up and opened the door, replying, "I'm sorry Alec, but I heard you playing music and I wanted to listen…may I come in?" "Uh…sure?" Alec replied, gesturing for her to sit next to him. Meilyx slowly walked in and sat beside him before asking, "Where did you get the guitar?" "Oh, this?" Alec replied as it was engulfed in darkness, emerging as the One Winged Angel Keyblade before Alec changed it back, "It's one of my Keyblades." "Oh…and the song?" Meilyx asked. "It's called 'The Other Promise'. I heard it back on my world as a child long ago…" Alec replied as he started playing the song from the beginning. Meilyx listened along with the song and closed her eyes, remembering something from her childhood…

Ten years in the past, Meilyx was not who she was today; she was a Somebody, a young girl named Emily. She had grown up on a peaceful World as an only child. Her mother had died at a young age, leaving her and her Father alone; the two were inseparable, and it seemed that nothing bad could ever happen to them, until _that _day. It was late at night, and it was raining. Her father was driving them home from a weekend road trip when a strange creature suddenly appeared in the road. Emily's father slammed on the brakes, but the slick road caused them to spin off the road. The crash left Emily badly injured, and her father unconscious, but before she could attempt to revive him, the same creature peered into the vehicle with its bright yellow eyes and grabbed her, dragging her out as another attempted to grab her father when a bolt of lightning struck nearby, igniting the ruptured gas tank and destroying the vehicle with her father inside. Emily wanted to scream, but she felt herself being dragged down into a void, and everything becoming darker and darker until…

As the song came to an end, Meilyx burst into tears, stunning Alec to the point he dropped One Winged Angel. _What the, she's crying…but if she doesn't have a heart, she can't normally feel can she…or did I hurt her that much?_ he thought as he tried to comfort her. "What the…what's wrong?" Alec asked her. "I…It's just…Well, It's a long story…" Meilyx told Alec about her memory, from start to finish, giving Alec a new insight into his friend. "Ouch…I'm so sorry…" he replied sadly, "I…I didn't mean to hurt you…" "Don't be sorry" Meilyx replied, "There's nothing one can do to change the past without completely ruining the future. Don't blame yourself for something you had nothing to do with…" "Meilyx…You were scarred in the worst way possible. I can't bear seeing you in pain like this" Alec replied, grasping her hand, "That's why, as long as I live, I will never allow you to be harmed, be it man, beast, or force of nature. I promise." Meilyx looked down at Alec's hand then slowly looked up to his face before pulling him into an embrace. "Thank you Alec" Meilyx said warmly, "I know you'll keep your promise."

Late Morning, Olympus Coliseum…

"Do you really think you'll be able to win the Games?" Fletcher asked, looking at Zane beside him. "Relax Fletcher, I can handle this!" Zane replied as he walked towards the entrance to the lobby. Fletcher had made it very clear to him that he would be entering alone, but he didn't let that phase him; he intended to win by any and all means necessary while still winning honorably, which in most definitions means 'within the boundaries set by the rules'. "Well, here it goes…" Zane muttered as he opened the doors and walked into the lobby.

As soon as Zane, Fletcher and Kate entered the lobby, they were able to get an idea as to what they would be up against. "Wow, look at this place!" Zane exclaimed. "Do my eyes deceive me?" said someone Zane wasn't familiar with. Zane looked in the direction of the voice to see a short faun walking up to him. "Sora! I haven't seen yah in ages! What's been happening, Kid?" he said excitedly. "Uh…who's Sora?" Zane asked, prompting the faun to look again. "Oh, so you're not him, I see" he replied, "Anyways if you want seats to watch the fighting, follow the signs." "My friends here are watching, I'm entering the games!" Zane exclaimed. "What! _You_ in the Games! Hold it, time out!" the faun replied angrily, "You aint entering the Games!" "Why not?" Zane asked in irritation. "Three words" the faun said sternly, "You. Aint. A Hero!" "That's four words, not three!" Zane replied with a wide grin upon realizing the faun's error. "Whatever Kid, you're still not entering!" the faun said in irritation. "Is there a problem Phil?" said another unfamiliar voice. Zane turned around to see a very tall man with an extremely muscular build; to Zane, the man looked as if he could lift the Coliseum with one arm. "Hercules! Where've you been!" the faun, now revealed to be named Phil, replied, "Tell this Kid to beat it; he aint ready for the Games." Hercules turned around and looked at Zane for a few seconds before saying, "He can enter." "What! What do yah mean he can enter!" Phil shouted angrily. "Phil, I know Hero potential when I see it" Hercules replied, "And this boy practically _shines_ with it! Give him a chance Phil." After a few seconds, Phil seemed to relent. "Okay Kid" Phil said, handing Zane a numbered card before adding, "But don't expect to make it too far; this is your first time. Just do your best out there and no one will think less of yah, got it? Good."

Zane stood in the tunnel leading to the arena, psyching himself up for the fight ahead. He felt like a gladiator being sent to the slaughter. _No matter how deep the shadows, a light shines within…_ he thought as he slowly walked towards the gate. He could hear the crowd's cheers long before he reached the gate, and this made him more excited, to the point where his walk became a run. As he ran out of the darkness in the tunnel and into broad daylight, the crowd went wild. "From the East, a newcomer to the games. Everyone welcome Zane, Keyblade Warrior!" Zane summoned his Keyblade, which had a different design from before, thanks to Fletcher having informed him that his charm could transform the weapon. It was now the Oathkeeper, a Keyblade with the power of Light. "From the West, Team Saber Brotherhood!" At that moment, a Dual Blade and two Bandits appeared. "Let's go!" Zane shouted as he charged at them.

The Bandits fell relatively quickly, with Zane taking them out before they could strike him. The Dual Blade was a bit more difficult, as the large Heartless was a _lot_ faster than Zane had anticipated, nothing like the Guard Armor or Opposite Armor. Zane rolled and leapt to evade the Dual-Blade's rapid slashes until it seemed to be charging up a slash attack. As the Dual Blade attempted to attack him, Zane deflected the attack away and slashed the Heartless across the chest, destroying it with ease. "It's all over! Zane has pulled off an impressive victory!"

Hours later, the Games were in the final round, and Zane had made it! He now stood on his side of the arena, awaiting his challenger. "From the West, another newcomer to the Games, give it up for Voexyn, the Lightning Dancer!" A person in a black coat teleported into the arena, giving Zane a feeling that his foe was no ordinary opponent. "Well if it isn't the Keyblade Master himself" said Voexyn as she pulled back her hood, revealing her features for Zane to see clearly, "I was hoping you'd make it this far, so that we could fight…and it looks like I'll get what I came for…now that we're acquainted…" At this Voexyn became shrouded in electricity as a chain whip appeared in her hands, which she twirled around for a few seconds before catching the dart at the end in one hand, the grip in the other. "Don't go dying on me!" she exclaimed with a mischievous grin.

As Zane leapt to attack, Voexyn suddenly warped away before calling out "Thundaga!" A massive torrent of lightning fell from the sky, striking Zane with its full fury, blowing him back. "What the…I'm in for it now!" he muttered as he lunged to attack Voexyn again, with the same result. "What am I doing wrong?" Zane muttered, "Wait…I know!" Zane ran at Voexyn to launch another attack, hoping his plan worked.

_Idiot_, Voexyn thought as she warped away, but when she reemerged, she was surprised to feel herself struck by Zane's Keyblade. _The little brat faked me out!_ she thought angrily as she went on the offensive herself, swinging her chain whip in wide arcs to ensure a strike. Zane caught the chain in the teeth of Oathkeeper, then twisted and pulled back, wrenching the whip out of Voexyn's hand while at the same time cutting through the chain of the weapon. _That bastard! I'll show him to disarm me!_ She thought furiously as she summoned her backup weapons: kunai, three to each hand. She rushed in close and managed to land several blows until Zane counterattacked, launching her back into a wall. _That's it! I'm through playing around!_ she thought as her rage hit a fever pitch. She unleashed another Thundaga spell, then another, and another, forcing Zane to his last legs.

"This can't go on like this…" Zane muttered, "She must have a weakness…of course!" Zane started running parallel to Voexyn, but instead of using a melee attack, he launched a blizzard spell at her, then a fire spell, melting the ice and soaking her. "You _bastard_!" Voexyn shouted furiously, "I'll show you to humiliate me like this!" "Voexyn, don't do it! You'll kill yourself!" Zane shouted frantically, trying to convince her to surrender, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. "Thundaga!" Voexyn shouted as she attempted to attack Zane, but instead of targeting the foe, she took the full force of her own attack! She screamed in pain as a bright flash engulfed the Coliseum, preventing anyone from seeing what had happened. When the light faded, Zane was facing Voexyn across the arena, but something strange was happening to the latter. "I…I'm fading away! No, please not now! I can't go out like this!" Voexyn shouted frantically as she felt her energy rapidly draining from her, her body rapidly fading into oblivion, "No…NO!" With those last few words, Voexyn faded away, the first to fall. Zane ran over to where Voexyn had, trying to grasp what happened when he came to a sobering realization: he had just taken a life.


	9. Chapter 9 Clash of Wills

Chapter 9 – Clash of Wills

Early Morning, the World that Never Was…

Alec teleported into his throne in the meeting hall and noticed everyone else was there save one; Veoxyn's throne was vacant, which, given the fact that this was an emergency meeting, wasn't a good sign to Alec. "I'm sure you are wondering of the purpose of this meeting, along with the whereabouts of our Number V" Xehanort began with a somewhat somber tone, "Voexyn…is no more." At this, there was a murmer among the different members when Xyru suddenly spoke up. "How did this happen!" he exclaimed. "Voexyn has fallen in battle…to the Keybearer of the Light." "What the…" Xyru replied when his expression suddenly changed from shock to anger, "This is an _outrage_! Whoever this Keybearer is _must_ be eliminated!" "No, don't get ahead of yourself Number VII" Xehanort replied with a half-smile, "Think about it, the Keyblade, regardless of whose side it's on, sends hearts to Kingdom Hearts, so that means the more Keyblades being used, the sooner Kingdom Hearts is completed, and the sooner you get a heart of your own!" Xyru fell silent at this, deciding to agree with Xehanort for once. "Could this Keybearer be the same one that I found in Traverse Town?" Ezio asked. "It's highly probable that the one who took out Voexyn was indeed the same one" Xehanort replied, "In which case, you must all proceed with caution from now on, lest you should share her fate. Dismissed!" With that, each member teleported away to go about their assignments, which were given to them before the meeting, except in Alec's case. Alec looked around and noticed that Makxir was also still in the chamber. "What's my assignment today?" Alec asked. "Today you're working with me" Makxir replied, "We are to go to a World you haven't been to before to take out a Heartless that's been wreaking havoc amongst the local populace." He opened a Door to Darkness and urged Alec through before entering behind him.

As Alec and Makxir emerged from the Door to Darkness, Alec was nearly blinded by the bright sunlight of the World that he and Makxir had entered. When his eyes adjusted, he noticed it was extremely hot, and the ground was completely covered in sand. The two of them were also in what appeared to be a side street of an old city. "Alec, welcome to Agrabah" Makxir said, "You'll never find a better place for sand and extreme heat, with water in short supply all year round." "Okay…so…where's the Heartless?" Alec asked. "From the recon data Kaizen obtained yesterday, it should be on the outskirts of the city" Makxir replied, "We'd better get moving." "Right" Alec said as the two of them walked out onto the streets when several men jumped out of nowhere, with scimitars pointed at Alec and Makxir. "Who are you? Identify yourself!" one of them demanded, which by his appearance Alec assumed was the leader of the group. "We answer to no one" Makxir replied, "leave us in piece, or suffer the consequences." "Is that a threat! In that case, you're all under arrest!" the man shouted. "Big mistake" Makxir replied with a hint of a smile as he held his hand up in the air, a large scythe appearing in his grasp, "I'll handle them Alec, you search for the Heartless!" Alec nodded and leapt over the head of one of the men before running off towards the city gates, with Makxir cutting them down to prevent them pursuing him. Within ten seconds, all of the men had fallen, now with several Bandit Heartless in their place, which Makxir immediately took out as well.

Within minutes of exiting the city, Alec heard several loud bangs and felt the ground shake slightly several times. He looked around in all directions until he found the source; it was Kaizen, firing his sniper rifle as he ran away from a massive six-armed Heartless wielding two giant scimitar-like blades in its middle set of arms. Kaizen, sighting Alec, ran towards him, firing back at the Heartless the whole time, with the latter simply blocking the attacks with its blades. "I still believe this thing came back!" Kaizen shouted angrily, "I came here to find it, but why did _it_ have to find _me_!" "What is that thing Kaizen!" Alec asked. "It's a really big, overpowered Heartless called Kurt Zisa! That thing is your target, good luck!" Kaizen replied as he ran away as fast as he could. Alec, although somewhat amused at Kaizen's obvious fear, knew that Kurt Zisa would probably make the Mega Slasher he'd fought look like a Sunday picnic, although it wouldn't be nearly as hard as Sephiroth was. He summoned One Winged Angel and Oblivion as he charged forward to do battle with the giant Heartless.

Kurt Zisa immediately leapt at him, slashing in rapid circles with its blades. Alec leapt between the arcs of its blades and struck back with a dual Strike Raid attack from his Keyblades. Kurt Zisa staggered slightly after being hit by this attack before retaliating with a berserk cross-slash attack, which barely missed Alec as he leapt back to evade the strike before rushing back in and charging at it with close-in strikes. As Alec landed on the other side of Kurt Zisa, the Heartless created something resembling a tornado that flung Alec high up in the air. Kurt Zisa leapt after him and was about to strike when Alec deflected the slashes with his own blades before forcing them aside and striking repeatedly at the creature's head. The two of them dropped back to the desert below, with both of them seeming relatively unharmed as neither of them were even slowed. Alec decided to take the initiative and went on the offensive, striking at the creature's head repeatedly as it loosed berserk slashes at him to stave off his attacks. Finally there was an opening, during which Alec leapt up, slashed its torso, and landed behind it with each Keyblade held out to either side. The massive Heartless staggered, attempted to right itself, failed, then finally fell in defeat, releasing the heart stored within and fading into nothing. "All too easy…" he muttered as he opened a Door to Darkness and returned to the Castle that Never Was.

Alec sat in the Gray Area, One Winged Angel in his hands in its guitar form as he prepared to play a song when he noticed Xyru walking towards him with something in his hand, which was nothing other than another guitar. "So you play the guitar, huh?" Xyru said, "I do too…but I wonder, who plays better?" "I do, every day of the week!" Alec replied. "Right, you couldn't beat me in a fight, so what makes you think you can play better than me?" Xyru taunted. "Master Xehanort stopped us, even though I probably would've won!" Alec replied, "I can fight better, and I can play better!" "Why don't you put your munny where your mouth is?" Xyru said with a grin, "I'll bet you ten thousand you can't play as good as me!" The rest of the Organization members turned in their direction at the mention of the substantial amount. "I'll bet you _twenty_ thousand I can do better!" Alec taunted. "Deal!" Xyru replied as he and Alec grasped hands, "We'll be playing the same song together, but this is a test of _stamina_. Whoever has more energy left at the end wins!" Alec nodded before turning towards Kaizen and asking "Care to be the judge?" "Hmm…Why not?" he replied, not knowing that he would soon regret his decision. "Okay, so what song are we playing?" Alec asked. "A song called 'Through the Fire and Flames!" Xyru replied as he prepared for what he believed would be an easy victory.

It was no contest; by the end, Alec was seen as the clear winner, but of course, not without a cost. At the start of the second instrumental, all the windows in the castle had been blown out, and everyone was covering their ears to avoid being deafened. "Who won?" Alec asked, with everyone pointing to him. "Alright Xyru, pay up!" he exclaimed. "Not so fast" Xehanort interjected, "You blew out all the windows in the castle, so that will be quite expensive to repair…I believe twenty thousand munny should cover it." "What!" Alec exclaimed when he realized that he had no choice, "Dammit…" He handed his winnings to Xehanort, who promptly turned around and warped out of the room.

Dusk, Olympus Coliseum…

Zane sat between Kate and Fletcher on the bleachers that only yesterday had been filled with spectators watching the games, but although Zane won, he felt sick; he had inadvertently taken a life, but for some strange reason his foe, Voexyn, had simply faded away rather than dropping dead. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, he found it impossible to reconcile his actions. "It's not your fault Zane; she took her own life…" Kate said, trying to comfort her friend. "I know…but why did she do it?" Zane replied as he stood up, "You think she would've known not to do it…and yet she did it anyways!" Fletcher suddenly glanced at Zane as the latter rose his voice, which Fletcher knew meant that he was becoming angry, and for a Keybearer, that was often a mistake from which one could never recover; he had heard of a Keybearer who made that same mistake, and succumbed to the Darkness as a result. "Zane, calm yourself; your anger causes the Darkness in your heart to grow!" Fletcher replied frantically, "It could consume you!" As if on cue, a demonic-looking Heartless wielding a red sword appeared in the center of the Coliseum. "An Orcus!" Fletcher exclaimed, "We're in for it now!" Zane, ignoring Fletcher, immediately leapt high in the air and attacked the Orcus with several rapid strikes. The Orcus parried most of the initial attacks with its sword, but Zane's attacks kept coming, increasing in speed and ferocity to the point that the Orcus' sword was knocked out of its hand. Zane grabbed the sword and threw it at the Heartless, impaling it through the chest and pinning it to a pillar, destroying it in a single savage blow. Zane, still enraged by the brazen Heartless' appearance, was in no mood to stop fighting. "C'mon Heartless, I know you're out there! Fight me!" he shouted as he began to emanate Darkness from himself. "This is not good…" Fletcher muttered. "At this rate, his Heart will be consumed within minutes!" "Zane, stop!" Kate shouted as she ran out into the arena. "Kate, no! He'll turn on you!" Fletcher shouted, but he was too late to stop her. Zane immediately spun around and charged at Kate, his Keyblade held high over his head as he launched a berserk attack.

Suddenly, someone in a black coat resembling that worn by Voexyn appeared with a Keyblade in his hand appeared between Zane and Kate. He raised his Keyblade up to his head and blocked Zane's attack. Zane, surprised by the appearance of the stranger, was unable to make out the man's face from underneath his hood, but the Keyblade seemed familiar. The hilt and teeth of the blade resembled angelic wings, whereas the shaft of the blade had the appearance of a demonic wing. Zane immediately leapt away from the stranger and entered a defensive stance with Oathkeeper held to his side. "Who are you! Identify yourself!" Zane shouted angrily. "I am the one who walks the path to dawn…" the other replied, lifting his Keyblade up to his head level and pointing it towards Zane while sliding his right leg back into a fighting stance of his own. "You didn't answer me!" Zane shouted as he ran forward and attacked the stranger, the latter easily parrying his attack and countering with an upwards slash that forced him back. _He anticipated my move perfectly!_ Zane thought, _But how!_ Zane rushed back in to attack again, but the stranger warped out of the way and flung his Keyblade at Zane. Zane leapt out of the way and caught the weapon, which he flung back at the foe, only for him to catch it. The stranger leapt up onto a pillar before jumping off and slamming his Keyblade into the ground, creating a powerful shockwave. Zane took the full impact of the shockwave and was slammed into a wall on the far side of the Coliseum. Immediately, he pushed off of the wall and leapt back at his adversary, landing a strike on his shoulder. The stranger recoiled and staggered from the attack, but seemed virtually unharmed. Zane landed several feet away, upon which his foe was already attacking him, his Keyblade glowing bright as if infused with pure energy. He was unable to parry or evade his opponent's rapid strikes, and was hit repeatedly by the other's Keyblade. Zane was knocked flying by the last strike and was again slammed into a wall. His foe leapt to attack him just as Zane managed to roll out of the way, the shockwave from the attack's impact again slamming him into a wall. This time, Zane's opponent grabbed him and lifted him high into the air before throwing him into the ground and throwing his Keyblade down after him, causing a massive explosion upon impact. _That should do it…_ the man thought as he landed again and recalled his Keyblade just in time to see Zane leap out of the crater caused by the explosion and attempt to sweep him while charging past. The stranger caught Zane's Keyblade in the teeth of his and wrenched it away, leaving Zane exposed before slashing him across the chest. Zane, completely overwhelmed, collapsed to his knees and blacked out. The man that had defeated him looked down at his foe and knelt down, touching his hand to Zane's neck. _He'll live_… he thought.

Zane slowly opened his eyes slowly, being unable to see his surroundings clearly. When his sight became clear, he took not of Kate and Fletcher kneeling over him, along with a face he assumed was that of an old friend. "Alec!" Zane exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock when suddenly 'Alec' placed a finger over his mouth, telling him to be quiet. "No, I'm not Alec" the man replied, his icy blue eyes seeming to pierce his heart. "Then…if you're not Alec, then who are you?" Zane asked, tilting his head to the side slightly in curiosity. "My name is Riku" the man replied, "Like you, I wield a Keyblade." Zane slowly sat up, rubbing his head when Riku suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder. "Be careful Boy, you'll hurt yourself" Riku said in a concerned tone, "I apologize for attacking you, but you gave me no choice." Zane, a bit dazed, gave Riku a look that told the latter he had no idea what he was talking about. "You were nearly consumed by Darkness" Riku replied, "But upon defeating you, I absorbed the Darkness in your heart into mine. You're safe now." "What!" Zane exclaimed as he staggered to his feet, "Darkness!" "That's right…" Riku replied, glad he left out the part about Zane attacking Kate, as that would make things _much_ worse, "You may bear the Keyblade, but your heart is vulnerable to the Darkness…perhaps you need some training…" "Training? From whom?" Zane replied with a questioning look on his face. "Well…I guess I would have to do it" Riku replied, "Assuming you're willing to keep an open heart and mind. Understood?" Zane nodded in reply when he noticed Fletcher had walked off and was now coming back with something red in his hand. "I don't know about you guys, but thanks to Zane's rampage, I got myself one badass sword!" Fletcher exclaimed, grasping the massive broadsword in one hand with his original sword in the other. Zane and Kate each did a facepalm, whilst Riku shook his head; Fletcher, ignoring the other's disapproval, walked over to them and said, "So Riku, you are a Keybearer fighting against the Darkness right?" Riku nodded when Kate interjected, "That means we all want the same thing…why don't we work together?" Kate drew her sword and held it out directly in front of her. "Let us join together to vanquish the Darkness! Who's in this!" After a few seconds, Fletcher stuck his greatsword in, the tip of the blade touching the tip of Kate's as he replied, "For the people of the Worlds that were destroyed." Riku summoned his Keyblade, Way to Dawn, and placed it in the same position relative to the others, adding, "For the restoration of peace in the universe." Kate, Fletcher and Riku all turned to Zane, who seemed lost in thought. After a few tense seconds, Zane summoned Oathkeeper and added it to the circle, forming a cruciform between the four of them. "For our lost friends" he said just before the four of them lifted their blades skywards, declaring, "The Darkness will fall!"


End file.
